1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile communication terminal, and more particularly, to an apparatus and a method for automatically compensating for the angle between a user's line of sight and the mobile communication terminal (hereafter referred to as “the image gradient”) such that the image displayed by the terminal is adjusted to compensate for the image gradient.
2. Description of the Related Art
As new mobile communication systems are introduced, for example those that provide video communication capabilities, users are more concerned with the quality of the images displayed by a mobile communication terminal. In response to these concerns, mobile communication terminals with improved display units have been fabricated and research has being performed to improve the quality of the images displayed by mobile communication terminals.
However, while improved display units may provide higher quality images, they cannot overcome the problem presented when the user views the display of the mobile communication terminal at a less-than-optimum angle. For example, when the user views the display of a mobile communication terminal such that the display is at an angle with respect his or her eyes, the image may appear distorted. No matter how high the quality of the image displayed, the resultant distortion will render the image quality irrelevant.
If a user of a mobile communication terminal uses the terminal to watch a movie or photograph moving images, the terminal must be constantly moved to compensate for the angle between the display of the terminal and the user's eyes to avoid distortion of the displayed image. The need for such constant manual compensation may decrease the viewing pleasure for the user.
Although there is a method known in the art for compensating for the effects of terrestrial magnetism on a displayed image, the method is applied mainly to large home appliances that display images on a display unit by emitting an electron beam. The method is not adaptable to a mobile communication device such as a mobile terminal. Furthermore such a method would not adequately compensate for the image gradient due to the angle between the terminal and the user's line of sight.
A method is also known in the art for inverting an image displayed by a rotary type folder mobile communication terminal. However, the method does not solve the problem presented when the user views the display of the mobile communication terminal at a less-than-optimum angle.
Presently, the only method known in the art for focusing an image displayed by a mobile communication terminal on the user's eyes is for the user to manually adjust the terminal to compensate for the image gradient. Not only does this method not completely alleviate the problem, it may present additional problems. The user is further inconvenienced by having to manually adjust the terminal. Furthermore, for some mobile communication terminals, such as those in a vehicle, the user may not be able to manually adjust the terminal safely.
Therefore, there is a need for a mobile communication terminal that automatically compensates for the image gradient of a displayed image in order to provide the user with an improved viewing experience. The present invention addresses this and other needs.